Gilles Parenteau

Gilles Parenteau has been performing professionally on keyboard since he was 14 years old for various venues including night clubs, conventions, concerts, cruise ships, and fashion shows in Canada, the U.S., Mexico, Panama and Japan. He has performed in many styles of music including pop, classical, jazz, rhythm and blues, rock, and jazz-fusion. In addition to his credits as a performer Gilles has nearly two decades of experience as a professional composer. He has a long time association with CBC Radio and TV having scored well over one hundred television episodes and every year he arranges music and leads the band for a nationwide CBC radio show showcasing Canadian talent. As well as his scores for media Gilles has had the opportunity to write for a large range of live ensembles including rock and jazz bands as well as symphonies in Vancouver, Edmonton and Winnipeg and in 1990 he received the CBC's Best Song of the Year Award. In 2001 he travelled to L.A. and studied with renowned orchestrator, Scott Smalley(one of Hollywoods leading orchestrators Batman, Mission Impossible). His most recent composition credits include Dragnuts and Double Exposure and he has released two CD¹s ³A Gift of Music² and ³Gratitude² in which he continues his collaborations with some of BC¹s finest musicans including Alpha Yaya Dialo and Kim Kuzma. Visit his webiste at www.virtualsymphony.com.

Gilles teaches: Keyboard, Labs, Contemporary Music Analysis, Arranging, and Ensembles.